RÉSUMÉ

A bubbling fluidized bed reactor (BFB) was batchwise operated under inert conditions to investigate phenomena occurring during the devolatilization of a biomass fuel, hazelnut shells coming from the food industry. A simple mathematical model was derived on the basis of some simplifying hypotheses suggested by the experimental evidence. The comparison between calculated and experimental values of devolatilization times and mass losses further support the assumptions made and the theoretical approach proposed.